This we said multiple times that has been like a roller-coaster, but the next days promise the same or even more.
That's what you get by launching a new collection while preparing a exposition and think doing a giveway.

Carimbos nos produtos da nova coleção Back to Basics \\ Stamps in the new collection Back to Basics Collection

But there are those days when more you try to do, less you accomplish, or just something gets in your way to get them done. Delay doesn't mean they won't be done.
Tomorrow we count on starting our first giveway with a new product, that gave us a lot of pleasure creating and also belongs to the new collection.
Of the new collection we will show you a preview tomorrow and show it all next week.

Though some scary moments that we have lived (like some material we had stored had a lot of humidity and it was ruined), which let me down yesterday, we keep our spirits high and keep doing our work to accomplish our dreams.

See you tomorrow!

Carimbos nos produtos da nova coleção Back to Basics \\ Stamps in the new collection Back to Basics Collection

This week I've been so busy with the last details of our new collection "Back to Basics" (you can have a sneak peak of that in our facebook page) that I even left music behind. Yap, you read well, I did not have time for think in the chronicle or in the music I would like to share with you guys. But no worries. As a super fan of (almost) every kind of music "Back to Basics" makes me rewind in time, until 2006 when Christina Aguilera released her fifth studio album named exactly like that. I remember back then that I was addicted to her album, maybe in not a very sane way; but teenagers addictions.. don't blame me for that. I get better with time, like it used to be said. So songs like "Ain't No Other Man", "Candyman", "Slow Down Baby", "Oh Mother" and "Hurt" were religiously part of my daily playlist, and as I didn't have internet back in 2006, I listen to them on my computer or I had to turn the televison on on MTV or VH1 and wait to have a lucky moment. I can't believe it was that long ago... I guess I'm getting nuts, telling stories of my youth when I'm not properly and old lady. To the hell with that! I'm going to leave you guys with some fun and dance music, as I'll keep working on our "Back to Basics" collection. Until next time, go back to your basics.

\\How long! (so please fast your seatbelts and prepare for a long ride)Last week, on the chronicle day it was holiday, so here your dear friend decide do nothing and rest. That's all very sweet but it meant that I didn't wrote or showed anything.Here we working a lot, finishing new collections, preparing surprises, thinking about a giveway, doing fairs, and other things that are still under wraps.

\\Still inspired in the drawings done in the weekend I started another notepad with a skull drawing. The color schemes that I've choose have been a reason to laugh all week, because pink, purple and bling bling (silver) are not (at all) colours that I like.

\\Even after so much notepads, we had the brilliant idea of making a new model of notepad. And this time, this one is for Catarina. For some dark reason (which I think it was lack of sugar) she was with an obsession for cupcakes.After a first and BIG fail of drawing a caramel and chocolate cupcake, we ended up with a Spring Cupcake with loads of butterflies.

\\We have a few surprises under our sleeves, but we can't reveal them yet. And oh boy, I really like to share good things, but it's not time for that yet!Have a nice end of the week and delight yourself with Borboleta (butterfly) that is a new fan of Catarina's notepad.

Gato selvagem que vive no quintal do escritório. Chamo-lo de Borboleta porque ele gosta de observar e perseguir borboletas. E ele bem fez juz ao seu nome ao ir ver a borboleta do cupcake da Catarina. \\ Wild cat that lives in the office backyard. We call it Borboleta (butterfly) because it likes to look and chase butterflies. And you can see how much the name suits him, because he was all over the butterfly in notepad.

This week I'm driving nuts with the preparation of our new collection. And why? Well I'm not giving a lot of details about that, because it would ruin the surprise, but I can tell you that geometry and I are not the most close friends, at all! All you can hear in the studio (beside the neighbors' noise and the normal background music that we have here) it's me huffing, and yes it's not a very nice picture to imagine. You really don't want to see me pissed off. So here I spend most of the time complaining about the things not being aligned and the circle is not perfect (damn you!)... and boom boom pow (and no I'm not talking about the Black Eyed Peas song!, although it would fit like a glove)! There you are, just the appropriated music (well it is not really a song, but a band instead). If my circles are not perfect, I know a band who is - A Perfect Circle. Actually, Mafalda is more into the band that I am, but I also like to hear some of their songs. I guess I'll hear more of them to see if my grumbles calm down (yes, hear rock alternative metal rock calms me... go figure that out...) and the collection finally gets out (*fingers crossed*). Until next time keep it calm and listen to A Perfect Circle (if it helps you too).

I'm starting to think I'm obsessed with people wearing hats. I've already catch myself drawing people with hats more than a few times. (as you can see in Sketchbook \\ Do what you love and Still thinking about summer)Because drawing always in the same way, it's something quite impossible to me, and i have tendency to get bored easily, I'm always trying out different things. I start with some line art. But it's never the same. I don't always start by drawing this or that part of the body. Sometimes I start with a detail until reach the all, other times I start with a structure and move on to the details.

as the years pass by my blank notebook collections diminish. meanwhile I learned to appreciate the pleasure to create from scratch a notebook. Since the sheets selection until the cover drawing.this year, and with the Nuts for Paper creation, notebooks seam to vanish so fast. the ideas and drawings are a constant thing, and that makes me very happy.

This week I'm back on my best shape! And to celebrate the return of my musical inspiration I thought: "well, I really enjoy listening to songs which have titles with people's names..." so I'll be a litlle bit egocentric and talk about songs with my name. After a little research, and some selection, I came up with this song that I really enjoy: Cath, by Death Cab for Cutie. There were several different songs with the name Catherine, Cath, Katherine, Katie... but only this one really touch my heart. First because I already new the band for a long time, and second because is a song with such beautiful lyrics.I like more the alternative rock indie music, but I found songs with my name in pretty much every genre you may think like Catherine (Damn This Situation) by Good Charlotte (pop punk), Catherine by David Nail (country), Catherine by Evanescence (rock), Catherine by Inkubus Sukkubus (gothic rock), Katherine Kiss Me by Franz Ferdinand (indie rock)... among others. If you have patience to search songs with you name, go ahead! I'll bet you'll come out with some very nice surprises! Feel free to share your results on the comments below and I'll catch you guys next week!

\\
The heat that's outside finally find it's way through our heads!
And might be the reason for: this friday (9th august) untill sunday (11th august) we have a special offer for the ones that buy one of this A5 (5.8 x 8.3 inches) notebooks!
Those who buy these notebooks will receive and pick two postcards from the Sea & Shells Collection!

I wasn't sure what to share this week - my recent obsession for Halloween series movies (that I've recently went on about in one of my blogs Drafts from Memory - 7A\\ Weekend Movies) or even an old obsession that are books, mainly the romantic kind.Some weeks it's easy to wake up and focus on work and the things that must be done, others it's constant struggle. In the struggle weeks everything seems to call for me - tv shows, sometimes really lame tv shows in a really awkward hours, books, sometimes embarrassing ones other times overwhelming stories, movies, stories inside my head that beg me to be written, anything and everything that keep me for doing what I should.It's a cycle that strikes all the time. It's a personal demon to me. (influenced by the Jukebox Girl who introduced me to Imagine Dragons I pick up a music perfect for the first part of this topic).

Last couple days, I don't feel like myself. I've been sleeping very bad (more than the usual) and it seems to be affecting my ideas. That said I think I'm in a blackout. And today's chronicle as been a pain in the ... to write. Truth be told, I don't usually write that much since I left university and as everything in life, if you don't keep training, the things start to vanish. Practical isn't everything but it helps (a lot!) to keep you in the road. Even my partner has said that I'm not like myself this week: "It's not like you Catarina! You have always a song in your head for everything!". Well, apparently I'm as human as everybody (or so it seems) and the inspiration on vacation. So, this week as I'm in blackout, I left you guys with a song exactly named Blackout, by one of my favourite bands ever - Muse. Hope my inspiration get back to normal quickly and I'll catch you guys next week!

Trying something different of my usual. I usually draw in pencil and ink the lineart of my drawings with black markers.
Once in a awhile I try do it with brush, because I think it gives a total different feeling that I really like to see, but that I feel I haven't achieve the right control over the brush to do it - or maybe haven't found the perfect brush for it, yet.
Sometimes I'm able to ink with the brush, like in this one, other times I ruin a nice sketch. I guess I just need to keep practicing.

As we have received several messages asking if we do custom orders (and our answer is obviously yes!), this week our Friday's Special will be devoted precisely to this. In our etsy shop you can find a simple way to do this kind of orders in our Custom Order Notebook Trio A6. You just have to contact us and tell what draw you want for the cover. If the pattern is already available, we send you the notebooks imediatly, but if you want something similar or have had another idea on your mind, tell us and we fulfill your wish, either in handmade illustration or in a printed illustrated cover. In case you want another size of custom notebooks, the same process can be performed.

Here are some examples of notebooks that we have available for imediate sale. This kind of custom order is perfect for gifts, where you can offer something original and creative! Any doubts you may have do not hesitate and contact us. Have a nice weekend!

Here we are starting some surprises, but we don't want to unveil all at the same time, so I'm continuing the last weeks theme.
Last week I showed what the squirrels are doing - their family tree!
It's not been easy to Snuggly and Chubby, and we all know that family can be tricky.
However Chubby and Snuggly are so excited with all that, that they wanted do present some of their relatives.

All the squirrels in the family knows that Great-Grandpa it's a little bit nuts, however is great inventor. When he was young he grabbed a backpack and walked all over the world. In one of his trips he found flying squirrels, and since then that he's biggest obsession is invent a wat of flying (no one told him yet that the planes are already invented). Great-Grandpa lives in his own world, and it's often that he forgets where he is, sometimes he even thinks that he is still in one of his journeys, which usually ends in funny stories or situations.

Sleepy Grandpa is one of Chubby and Snuggly's favourite relatives, because he likes the some things than them. He share and secretly gives a chocolate chip cookies to Chubby, but he also goes on sleeping marathons with Snuggly. He's favourite drink is milk, that drinks in large amounts, and that he likes to say that is his secret weapon... for what the weapon is for, remains a mystery! Chubby and Snuggly suspect that Sleepy Grandpa has another identity, secretly they think he is Santa Claus! Why other reasons Sleepy Grandpa would have a white beard, liked chocolate chip cookies and spend all the time sleeping to - as he likes to say - "gaining strength for the big night!"?